Age of Innocence
by Terrified of Logic
Summary: It's another rainy day in the West Block, Shion's wandering thoughts lead him into concepts he hasn't quite experienced yet. He turns to the life-hardened Nezumi for advice and knowledge on the matter. (Nezushi)


x

.

_Age of Innocence_

.

x

Rain slid down a metal pipe, racing and disappearing into a hole in the ground. Grey clouds hung low, oppressing the population. The steady drone of the rain against the waste land that was the West Block was oddly soothing. Shion leant against the cool wall behind him and let his fingers wander into the folds of the worn blanket he was sitting on.

It was getting rather dark in the room, but Nezumi sat in the armchair, legs crossed, intent on reading and ignoring the grey scale of the room that was deepening with every wet minute that passed. Another page was turned and the sound of paper rustling against paper punctuated the silence of the quiet room. Shion coughed a little as a prelude to prepare himself to talk.

"N-Nezumi?" He asked hesitantly, voice cracking a little from not speaking for the past hour.

The raven head ignored Shion and continued reading.

"Nezumi, do you think we can turn some lights on? Just a little bit, not all of them." He asked.

There was a pause then,

"No." And a page was turned.

Shion didn't give up though.

"Can I light a candle then? It's getting really dark in here."

"No."

"Why not?" Shion persisted. The book snapped shut and Nezumi stared at Shion from across the room.

"Because, candles and fire is expensive, that's why. We should only use them when it's important."

"But reading is important!"

"Exactly, so will you shut up and let me read before I won't be able to read at all." Nezumi buried himself into his book once more and Shion sighed.

Nezumi was always like this. He supposed he could understand where he was coming from, with the need to save money and limited supplies, but the room could definitely benefit from some light more often. The only times the room was lit was when they were making meals or if the room became unbearably dark. Shion studied Nezumi closely.

His eyes were totally focused on the small print of the book, irises moving slightly, indicating how fast he was taking in new knowledge. His hair was tied up in his typical ponytail, the ends spiking up slightly. Shion sighed again, Nezumi was clever and had a lot of experience with the way of the world. He knew that he was a such a sheltered person and even now, living day by day, he was still sheltered and protected by Nezumi, even if the latter would deny that vehemently.

He played with the frayed end of the blanket, feeling the soft material between his fingers. He really did wish he could gain experience like Nezumi did and maybe he wouldn't have to rely so heavily on Nezumi anymore. Experience…

Shion's mind flashed back to the moment Nezumi was hovering above him...shouting at him to pull himself together. To live! To live and see another day, to fight off the will to die and replace it with the will to live. Shion could only remember looking at Nezumi through bleary eyes, a searing pain in his neck as he struggled to focus in on the raven head.

_You don't understand anything! You don't even know how to have sex!_

Nezumi's words echoed through his head again. Shion blushed. It wasn't his fault, it wasn't like he wasn't interested in sex, he just never thought about it. The idea of sex just never occurred to him. Nezumi would probably just laugh at him, perhaps that was why Nezumi always shook his head and smirked at him whenever Shion brought up the topic of experience. Shion sighed, he probably should start by changing the way he thought about things… but what about Nezumi? How did Nezumi perceive the world?

His words.. _you don't even know how to have sex!_ Did Nezumi know how to have sex? Shion, of course, knew how sex worked being a top student in biology back at No. 6, but he couldn't for the life of him figure out why sex was so… vital, a constant attraction for the human mind. Well, he did know, it was the addiction to the reactions released by the various hormones and neurotransmitters released by the brain as well as the need to create more life… but even Shion knew that there was more to sex than just chemicals.

Shion knew that Nezumi thought about sex, he even knew that Nezumi kept some erotic novels in their vast library, but he would never let Shion near that section of the shelves. But has Nezumi had sex before? The question persisted in Shion's mind. Sexual experience was definitely a gateway to the many experiences of the world, and if this was a part of learning life knowledge, Shion figured he better asked the expert.

If he didn't get laughed at first.

The snap of a book shutting, jolted Shion out of his whirling thoughts and he jerked up to see Nezumi frowning at him.

"How," He sighed exasperatedly, "How in the world, am I supposed to read when you keep sighing so loudly?" He reached over and flicked a match, lighting it and the candle beside it. Warm light instantly flooded the room and the colour that warmed Shion's cheeks became evident.

Nezumi's eyes narrowed at the blush present on Shion's cheeks, then widened slightly in amusement. Shion trembled a little under Nezumi's unnerving gaze, feeling a little bit exposed as those grey eyes seemingly stared straight into his thoughts. He tried to maintain eye contact but the blush on his cheeks only burned hotter as he tried to keep images of Nezumi having sex out of his mind. Bad thoughts… dirty thoughts…

"You're thinking dirty thoughts, aren't you." Nezumi's grin widened and suddenly he crossed the room, leaning over Shion, hands placed on the bed- staring into his face.

"I'm- I'm not!" Shion protested, the lie feeling funny on his tongue. He didn't lie very often and certainly not to Nezumi.

"Ah but you are. The red on your cheeks isn't just an average blush, not with the way it's spreading down your neck," Nezumi let a finger trail down the said neck, "And, your eyes. Your pupils have dilated even though there is plenty of light in the room. Another sign that the human body is aroused. Tell me, Shion. What has aroused you?"

Shion's mouth that had parted slightly at Nezumi's sudden proximity, had immediately clamped shut. He folded his arms almost childishly, his overall body behaviour refusing Nezumi's little interrogation to go any further.

The raven head laughed at the reaction and tried prying an arm loose.

"Come on, tell me. I won't laugh. What kind of things were you thinking about?"

"..." Shion looked to the side, refusing to make eye contact with Nezumi. But when minutes went by and the raven showed no signs of giving up, he sighed and let his arms fall to his side.

"I was...I was thinking about sex." He puffed out quietly, hoping Nezumi wouldn't hear the words, but unfortunately Nezumi had excellent hearing and caught every mumbled syllable quite clearly. The delight in seeing Shion so flustered about the raw topic, quickly shone a new sort of light within Nezumi's eyes.

He hummed with the revelation, relaxing his grip on Shion's arm.

"Just sex? Are you sure there was nothing more?"

"..." Shion wrinkled his nose. "I was wondering if you… if you've ever had sex before." That's it. He refused to say anymore after that. He let his eyes slip to Nezumi's face, gauging his reaction to his statement.

"What if I have?" Nezumi grinned mischieviously.

Something twitched within Shion's chest, he would soon come to recognise this feeling as jealousy, but at the moment it felt like a hand was squeezing at his lungs, painfully expelling air- suffocating him a little, making him feel slightly light headed. He dismissed the feelings though and plowed on.

"I was hoping I could learn about it more. You know, gain more experience in the way of the world...and...stuff." His arms were back to being wrapped around himself as he regarded Nezumi nervously.

"You want me… to teach you about… sex?" Nezumi asked surprised. He wasn't expecting that confession. He'd been hoping for something a little dirtier so he could tease the poor boy. But then again, this was Shion. Such thoughts would never occur to him in the first place. Nezumi blew a strand of hair out of his face, cocking his head at the white haired boy.

"I guess… I could." Nezumi mumbled to himself, mind not exactly processing the idea fully. Sure he'd done it before… but how was one supposed to teach sex? What part? What aspect? What did Shion _mean_? But pride in his vast knowledge prevented Nezumi from denying Shion. He relented.

"They say things are better learned from first hand experience." Nezumi spoke up, mind made up. He nudged Shion's knees apart and kneeled between them, in front of him on the bed.

"First… you start off like this…" He cupped a hand delicately around the back of Shion's neck.

Shion's red eyes gazed back at him, half trusting and half wondering what could be happening next. Their faces came close together and Shion could see Nezumi's eyes sliding shut.

They kissed.

This kiss was no different from the kisses they've shared in the past. Warm lips descended upon his, a light pressure coaxing him to relax. But in that instant, Nezumi deepened the kiss, letting his tongue trace the edge of Shion's lower lip, gently touching the tip of his tongue.

Shion jerked back, breaking the kiss, panting a little.

"What's that."

"It's a kiss. What did you think it was?" Nezumi said a little miffed at the abrupt interruption.

Shion placed a hand over his heart. It was beating extremely fast, and his stomach felt fluttery. He had broken the kiss because he had started to feel a bit strange, like he was melting. But that was impossible because humans couldn't possibly melt… his thoughts were crashing into one another, his heart and mind not being a cohesive being at this moment in time.

But despite the way his heart and body was feeling, he realised it wasn't an unpleasant sensation. He was willing to try again. Shion closed his eyes and leaned forward.

Nezumi closed the distance and the kiss continued.

It was slow, awkward, clumsy and definitely not the best kiss Nezumi had ever received. But Nezumi ignored all of that, holding Shion's jaw still with one hand. He could feel the small trembles that passed through his fingers every now and then, and the cautiousness with which Shion proceeded with. It was warming to him, that someone in this godforsaken world trusted him with such a delicate matter.

They parted once more, but this time Shion wasn't the only one who was breathless.

"Have you… have you touched yourself before?" Nezumi asked awkwardly, voice straining a little.

"...What?"

"You know. Jacking off, relieving yourself…."

"..."

"You're incredible Shion, you know that? How do you even- Look, what do you do when it becomes like this?" Nezumi lifted up his shirt a little to show Shion the erection that was pressing against his trousers.

"O-oh, that. I… I don't know. It just kind of goes away after awhile." Shion rubbed the back of his head and then his neck where the red stripe curled around the column. It was a nervous tic of his. He began to feel a little foolish and inadequate, especially with the way the raven head was looking at him now, with a mixture of confusion and curiosity. Was it possible that he had been missing something vital all his life…?

Nezumi frowned, he had never heard of a boy that never took care of his… needs before. He sighed, figures it had to be Shion. He moved closer and rested his hand on his crotch. Only semi hard and quite soft… Nezumi pressed his lips together and wondered what to do next.

"Is there… is there something wrong with me?" A small voice interrupted his thoughts and Nezumi looked up. Shion was biting his lip nervously, a look of extreme worry painted across his delicate features. Nezumi raced to console him.

"No, there's nothing wrong with you." He smiled at the white haired boy, uncharacteristic fondness creeping into his voice. He pushed Shion onto his back and settled himself between his legs, one arm bracing him so that he could look down at the boy.

From his whitened hair, those stunning red-gold eyes, to the red markings that ran around his body, Nezumi gazed down at him. "There's absolutely nothing wrong with you." And he kissed Shion again.

The kiss grew hotter and rougher as Nezumi nibbled at Shion's lip. He could feel hands tangle into his hair, pulling some strands loose from his ponytail. He let one hand slide down Shion's chest and paused, cupping his crotch. Shion engaged the kiss harder at the touch, which Nezumi took as permission to continue. He started rubbing the semi hard erection, coaxing more blood to fill the organ, allowing it to grow underneath his ministrations.

Shion's cheeks felt hot, his whole body felt incredibly hot under Nezumi's, especially where his hand connected with his crotch. But he couldn't stop kissing the other boy. Was this why humans were addicted to sex? These incredible feelings and sensations that were racing through his body… it was so overwhelming but at the same it wasn't enough.

Now incredibly hard, Nezumi could feel Shion's hips beginning to get restless under his body. The inexperienced body was unsure how to achieve the pleasure it craved. Nezumi removed his hand and slipped it under Shion's shirt, dragging it up at the same time and exposing hot skin. His hips settled on top of Shion's and he ground down slightly, showing Shion how to move as well as letting the friction stimulate them both.

Shion let out a squeak at the new feeling, hands holding on to Nezumi's arms with a vice grip. Nezumi himself, clenched his teeth together. He hadn't slept with anyone in a long time and the sensations that assuaged his body felt more than welcome. But…

A nagging thought that had been tugging at his mind for the past few minutes came to light.

They were both boys and this was Shion's first time. Conventional sex… the type taught in textbooks required a woman. Was this really what Shion wanted? Was this what he wanted to give Shion…?

With a will of iron, he extracted himself from Shion's body and lay beside him. The white haired boy looked up at him with confusion.

"What… are…." The question hung low between them.

Nezumi let himself smile down at the boy.

"Shion, you're too young for sex."

"But we're almost the same age!" He protested, not understand what was going on.

"I didn't mean it like that." He kissed the red stripe on the boy's cheek affectionately. "It'll come to you naturally and when it does, then I can show you what you really want. Until then, stay the way you are, Shion." The innocent look on his face was almost too much for Nezumi to handle, he pulled down the edge of the boy's shirt slowly and patted him.

"What do I do about this…?" Shion pushed down on his erection, teeth worrying at his lip. He'd never felt it become like this in his entire life and it didn't look like it was going to go away anytime soon.

Nezumi pointed to the door.

"Out. You'll know what to do." He pulled the boy up by one arm and shoved him to the door.

"What are you doing! Let me go!" Shion struggled against Nezumi.

"Shut up, I'm teaching you about sex. Don't come back till you're soft. And don't forget to clean your hands!" He said as he locked the door gleefully.

"What!? What do you mean clean my hands?" Shion pounded on the door.

Nezumi just chuckled and returned to his armchair, picking up his book. He pushed down on his own erection thoughtfully. Shion was definitely too young for sex, he laughed to himself. Opening the book to the page he left off, his smile dimmed a little. He almost wished that Shion would never have to grow up and lose his innocence. God knows there was too little innocence left in Nezumi's world, just a rotten, twisted society with skewed rules. It was refreshing, albeit a little annoying at times, to be with someone with such pure thoughts. But Nezumi embraced it, he never would admit it, but he trusted Shion. He knew he could trust pure Shion. The trust that the had instilled within each other was a safe haven to the both of them and Nezumi wasn't sure he was quite ready to test that yet.

But who knows what will happen after this, behind that closed door?


End file.
